CANON 15 - 85mm and 18 - 135mm

[infinity]

well there isn't much discussion for the 17~85 because of its CA and some barrel distortion
i would like to remind you that the 15~85 owns the IQ of 17~85 hands down, and wider too!! :bigeyes::bigeyes:
you can go to the digital picture and compare the lab shots between the two

well as for the dilemma between the 15~85 and 17~55
ask yourself these questions:

do you shoot often at low light?
what are you looking for your upgrade from your kit lens?
is the kit lens of sufficient focal length to you? (if not the 17~55 might not be good for you since its focal length is similar)
is the high ISO of your camera good?

if you still can make a decision after the above questions
you might want to wait for reviews to come out and look at its build

I must admit I don't often shoot in low light and 1 of the main reason to upgrade is there are moments during shooting when the tele / wide is just not sufficient for coverage and I would start wishing for a longer zoom and wider lens. Haha.....
Thanks for the enlightening, believe I know which lens to buy now.
40D max iso is 1600, good enough for me. :thumbsup:

 

[auden09]

for a walk around lens, personally i think 17~55 has too short a focal length
my definition of a good walk around lens is something which has MODERATE amount of focal length..
then why not the 18~200 you might ask? those walk around lens suffers too much degradation of IQ due to its extreme focal range

hence personally
15~85 > 17~55 , as a walk around
its a 5.6X vs 3.2X zoom
15~85 being wider, and also more tele

but of cux 17~55 win 15~85 in terms of aperture, hence it is faster and more usable in low light...
each lens has its pro and cons.. and it boils down to preference..
still.. the 15~85 is really a good lens as shown in the above comparison...

i think canon knows that the IQ of the 15~85 is good
hence its hefty price
...hmmm now i wonder why they purposely made the 18~135 so horrible :think:

haha so that we'd get fed up and buy the 15-85! lol...well personally im stucked between a 17-55 n 15-85 cuz i do events, weddings etc. yet i want a lens which i can use for walkabouts. machiam like an ALL IN ONE kinda lens. oh man, hard to choose. the prices roughly the same somemore. sadly the 17-55's IS is 3-stops compared to 15-85's 4-stops. its gonna be hard choosing between the two of them...

hey guys (esp those who do events and weddings), i need your advice...is the f/2.8 very very important? or an external flash is good enough?

 

[auden09]

Hi, what do you guys think of the 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6? Heard from MS it will be launch next week at $1140. I would like some feedback with comparison to the current King of EFS lens - 17-55mm f/2.8. Both have USM and IS. Thanks! :think:

price so low?? with UD and aspherical materials i expect $1.3k launch price before hitting 1.1k after a few months. 1.1k seems fair enough for me for that kinda quality. if canon adds the f/2.8...it wld be heavenly!

 

[infinity]

price so low?? with UD and aspherical materials i expect $1.3k launch price before hitting 1.1k after a few months. 1.1k seems fair enough for me for that kinda quality. if canon adds the f/2.8...it wld be heavenly!

I got the price from MS, hope it stands as I plan to bring along for my trip in Nov, under budget! Sigh.....

I wish too for Canon to throw in f/2.8 but it's just a wistful thought..... Haha..... :bsmilie:

 

[defn]

Seems like the 15-85 is really the 1.6 version of the 24-105. Maybe even sharper!

 

[Joelhlaing]

price so low?? with UD and aspherical materials i expect $1.3k launch price before hitting 1.1k after a few months. 1.1k seems fair enough for me for that kinda quality. if canon adds the f/2.8...it wld be heavenly!

I personally dun think 1.1 K here is considered cheap. It is the same as B&H price USD 799= SGD 1.1 K whereas 100mmL f2.8 launch price here might be considered cheap USD 1049= SGD 1460 ( the price here range from 1285 to 1340 ).
I am thinkin of getin this new lens too... Bt I will wait until some reviews come out first.
Reviews for recent canon lenses are not so great.. Bt i guess it is too early to say..
http://www.fredmiranda.com/reviews/showproduct.php?product=384&sort=7&cat=2&page=1
http://www.ww.photozone.de/canon-eos/462-canon_18135_3556is?start=1

 

[anttz]

Review of the 15-85mm fr photozone: http://www.photozone.de/canon-eos/465-canon_1585_3556is

Here is the verdict :
The Canon EF-S 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 USM IS is certainly a desirable lens ... if you can get a good one (ours had a bit of QC issue). The resolution is generally very good from 15-50mm whereas you should expect some border softness at 85mm. A weak spot of the lens is the amount of vignetting which is extreme at 15mm @ f/3.5. An edge shading of 1.94EV represents a new (negative) record here at PZ - the lens is somewhat underdesigned here obviously. However, stopping down resolves most of the problem. The amount of distortions is typical for such a lens (heavy barrel distortions at 15mm). Lateral CAs can be visible at the extreme ends of the zoom range.
The build quality of the lens is very good and definitely an improvement over previous Canon consumer zoom lenses. Typical for Canon lenses featuring a ring-type USM the AF performance is very impressive. The IS ("Image Stabilizer") works just fine within its limits but that's a proven technology by now and no real news anymore.
Overall we'd say that the lens is slightly over-priced regarding its performance but eventually the street prices will come down to more sane levels.

 

[Joelhlaing]

Review of the 15-85mm fr photozone: http://www.photozone.de/canon-eos/465-canon_1585_3556is

Here is the verdict :
The Canon EF-S 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 USM IS is certainly a desirable lens ... if you can get a good one (ours had a bit of QC issue). The resolution is generally very good from 15-50mm whereas you should expect some border softness at 85mm. A weak spot of the lens is the amount of vignetting which is extreme at 15mm @ f/3.5. An edge shading of 1.94EV represents a new (negative) record here at PZ - the lens is somewhat underdesigned here obviously. However, stopping down resolves most of the problem. The amount of distortions is typical for such a lens (heavy barrel distortions at 15mm). Lateral CAs can be visible at the extreme ends of the zoom range.
The build quality of the lens is very good and definitely an improvement over previous Canon consumer zoom lenses. Typical for Canon lenses featuring a ring-type USM the AF performance is very impressive. The IS ("Image Stabilizer") works just fine within its limits but that's a proven technology by now and no real news anymore.
Overall we'd say that the lens is slightly over-priced regarding its performance but eventually the street prices will come down to more sane levels.

Thx... That gives me a lot of warning signs and maby I'll wait til more user reviews comes up here and there

 

[spidercrown]

Image quality may be decent, but definitely not great given such price tag. I would expect better IQ compare to the cheaper competitor equivalent with better IQ (although the diffence can only be seen in lab test, but if given a chance to chose, why not?)

 

[anttz]

Thx... That gives me a lot of warning signs and maby I'll wait til more user reviews comes up here and there

I'm also disappointed as I'm also eyeing this lens as a travel lens. But pics from FM and POTN look good to me:

Here is more pics:

http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/809809/6#7636064

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=760140

 

[Joelhlaing]

I'm also disappointed as I'm also eyeing this lens as a travel lens. But pics from FM and POTN look good to me:

Here is more pics:

http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/809809/6#7636064

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=760140

Wow...... Pics looks very impressive esp the one at 15mm wide open with 100%.. It seems like photozone might hv got the bad copy.
Nw the thing is to get a good copy and the price.. Hope btw 1 to 1.1K;p

 

[infinity]

I'm also disappointed as I'm also eyeing this lens as a travel lens. But pics from FM and POTN look good to me:

Here is more pics:

http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/809809/6#7636064

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=760140

Very impressive! Thanks for sharing! Any idea when this lens will be launch? :think:

 

[anttz]

Wow...... Pics looks very impressive esp the one at 15mm wide open with 100%.. It seems like photozone might hv got the bad copy.
Nw the thing is to get a good copy and the price.. Hope btw 1 to 1.1K;p

I'm impressed too. Should be within the price range.

Very impressive! Thanks for sharing! Any idea when this lens will be launch? :think:

No idea. Someone here in CS mentioned Nov

 

[renzokuken]

photozone mentioned something about quality control

do you guys thing this will get better after the first few batches of the lens release?

 

[infinity]

photozone mentioned something about quality control

do you guys thing this will get better after the first few batches of the lens release?

7D Kit II is out already, will be dropping by MS tonight to check out this lens!
Hope I won't be disappointed. :think:

 

[rockman88]

Review of the 15-85mm fr photozone: http://www.photozone.de/canon-eos/465-canon_1585_3556is

Here is the verdict :
The Canon EF-S 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 USM IS is certainly a desirable lens ... if you can get a good one (ours had a bit of QC issue). The resolution is generally very good from 15-50mm whereas you should expect some border softness at 85mm. A weak spot of the lens is the amount of vignetting which is extreme at 15mm @ f/3.5. An edge shading of 1.94EV represents a new (negative) record here at PZ - the lens is somewhat underdesigned here obviously. However, stopping down resolves most of the problem. The amount of distortions is typical for such a lens (heavy barrel distortions at 15mm). Lateral CAs can be visible at the extreme ends of the zoom range.
The build quality of the lens is very good and definitely an improvement over previous Canon consumer zoom lenses. Typical for Canon lenses featuring a ring-type USM the AF performance is very impressive. The IS ("Image Stabilizer") works just fine within its limits but that's a proven technology by now and no real news anymore.
Overall we'd say that the lens is slightly over-priced regarding its performance but eventually the street prices will come down to more sane levels.

Hey I read the WHOLE article and PHOTOZONE gives the 15-85mm IS USM a pretty good review. Don't be mistaken for their very critical comments... They justify that they are harsh because culturally(being Germans... LOL their words not mine hor so dun flame read how they rate here : http://www.photozone.de/rating.htm) they rate things more objectively. They give
3 1/2 Stars for Optical Quality, Mechanical Quality and Price/Performance.
If you are a follower of thier reviews, you will realize that this score is pretty good ... they hardly give that many stars to any lens except the 70-200mm lens (But its an L series) !!

If you look at their review for the 18-135mm lens they give only 2 stars for OQ, 2 1/2 Stars for MQ and 3 stars for price/performace. ...

So if u like the IQ of the 18-135mm then going by their review the 15-85mm IQ is going to be much better...

just my noob humble input... ;p

 

[infinity]

Hey I read the WHOLE article and PHOTOZONE gives the 15-85mm IS USM a pretty good review. Don't be mistaken for their very critical comments... They justify that they are harsh because culturally(being Germans... LOL their words not mine hor so dun flame read how they rate here : http://www.photozone.de/rating.htm) they rate things more objectively. They give
3 1/2 Stars for Optical Quality, Mechanical Quality and Price/Performance.
If you are a follower of thier reviews, you will realize that this score is pretty good ... they hardly give that many stars to any lens except the 70-200mm lens (But its an L series) !!

If you look at their review for the 18-135mm lens they give only 2 stars for OQ, 2 1/2 Stars for MQ and 3 stars for price/performace. ...

So if u like the IQ of the 18-135mm then going by their review the 15-85mm IQ is going to be much better...

just my noob humble input... ;p

I hope the QC issue is not too widespread (esp in Singapore!) as I might be buying tonight if all goes well.

Still, I also feel that this lens is over-priced as compared to the famous 17-55mm f/2.8. Any thoughts to share? :think:

 

[GFONG]

I hope the QC issue is not too widespread (esp in Singapore!) as I might be buying tonight if all goes well.

Still, I also feel that this lens is over-priced as compared to the famous 17-55mm f/2.8. Any thoughts to share? :think:

Same as you. I decided to buy 17-55mm f2.8 and suddenly heard a lot of good comments about 15-85mm f3.5/5.6. Personally, I don't have any concern about the range (I know 15-85mm is better range), price (17-55mm is more expensive) and aperture. My only concern is the photos quality. Some users in other forum recommend to buy 17-55mm f2.8 based on the following reasons:

1. In 55MM, The aperture in 17-55mm is 3 stops bigger than 15-85mm. As a result, the bokeh is better;

2. Normally, the lower the range, the better the photos quality. 85/15 = 5.67 times and 55/17 = 3.24 times.

Most likely I will buy the 17-55mm f2.8.

 

[infinity]

Same as you. I decided to buy 17-55mm f2.8 and suddenly heard a lot of good comments about 15-85mm f3.5/5.6. Personally, I don't have any concern about the range (I know 15-85mm is better range), price (17-55mm is more expensive) and aperture. My only concern is the photos quality. Some users in other forum recommend to buy 17-55mm f2.8 based on the following reasons:

1. In 55MM, The aperture in 17-55mm is 3 stops bigger than 15-85mm. As a result, the bokeh is better;

2. Normally, the lower the range, the better the photos quality. 85/15 = 5.67 times and 55/17 = 3.24 times.

Most likely I will buy the 17-55mm f2.8.

Hi, to be honest, I struggle for quite a long time in deciding which lens to buy (and even now, I am still kind of debating over it!) but someone ever ask me this qn, why do you upgrade? I thought over and realise that I prefer a wider coverage for scenery shots and longer zoom for those special moments when you needed it.

As I am currently using a 18-55, buying a 17-55 make no sense. The f/2.8 is a definite good to have but just how often do I shoot in low light conditions? I thought of getting a 50mm f/1.8 to use for low light shoot if necessary.

Which is why I decided to go for the 15-85 lens instead. Just to share and all IMHO.

 

[infinity]

Same as you. I decided to buy 17-55mm f2.8 and suddenly heard a lot of good comments about 15-85mm f3.5/5.6. Personally, I don't have any concern about the range (I know 15-85mm is better range), price (17-55mm is more expensive) and aperture. My only concern is the photos quality. Some users in other forum recommend to buy 17-55mm f2.8 based on the following reasons:

1. In 55MM, The aperture in 17-55mm is 3 stops bigger than 15-85mm. As a result, the bokeh is better;

2. Normally, the lower the range, the better the photos quality. 85/15 = 5.67 times and 55/17 = 3.24 times.

Most likely I will buy the 17-55mm f2.8.

Anyway, fyi, MS is selling the 17-55 at $1540 and 15-85 at $1130. The 50 f/1.8 will cost about $130.